Everyone loves the idea of full virtual reality, but the really interesting future is in augmented reality. With this, you’re still seeing the world around you, but you’re getting an overlay of new details, from inventory management to pretending you’re catching Pokemon. Qualcomm wants to push AR to new heights with their Snapdragon XR2 Platform, and it offers some really exciting potential!
They’ve drawn up a reference design that utilizes dual monochrome cameras, one RGB camera, head and hand tracking, and dual micro-OLED binocular displays that offer 1920×1080 per eye. For reference, the first iPhone had a whopping 480×320 screen — a little side-note about how far and how swiftly technology can evolve.
In any case, back to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 Platform. It has a few features that will definitely make the AR experience smoother, such as less than three milliseconds between smartphone and AR display. They’ll also support WiFi 6/6E and Bluetooth, along with low power modes to keep the AR running longer.
All jokes about Pokemon Go aside, AR has immense potential in many professions and situations. On the one hand, it’s creepy to link ourselves deeper to screens; on the other, having information running in front of you might allow people to put their phones away and engage more with each other.